Security is the disguise for tyranny.
America had a border problem. It peaked in December 2023 at almost 250,000 encounters between ports of entry along the southern border, the highest ever recorded. Republicans seized on the situation, making it one of their main campaign issues. It was branded an invasion, and victims of tragic violence were exploited as political props. Republicans owned the issue and won elections at least in part because of it.
It didn’t matter that border crossings had dropped 78% by October 2024, or that Trump had Republicans torpedo a bipartisan border bill to address the situation, or even that, contrary to the claims about a flood of violent criminals, violent crime dropped substantially throughout the “invasion.” People were upset and afraid. They voted for security.
Border numbers declined to only 7,000 encounters last month. Trump followed up on promises of mass deportations with a show of televised ICE raids and costly military planes flying hastily rounded-up immigrants out of the country. And yet, the nation as a whole disapproves of the job Trump is doing on immigration, even according to Fox News polls. America realizes that rights are being eroded and the Constitution is being ignored in the name of security.
When Trump announced he would send troops to the border, and Mexico agreed to 10,000 on their side, it added weight to his promise to be tough on the border. Crossings dropped lower. It was what many people on both sides of the aisle wanted to see, even if they disagreed on the approach to get there.
But Trump didn’t stop there. He mandated a quota for arrests and deportations. The result was inevitable: mistakes, including American citizens being detained. To show how tough he was on crime, Trump sent planes full of alleged criminals down to a notorious El Salvadorian prison and made a extravegent promotional video to treat their arrival and incarceration like a trailer for an action movie.
As we found out, very few of them were criminals. We heard their stories: a young barber, a makeup artist, a soccer player, and a union sheet-metal apprentice who had never been convicted of a crime and had a protection order against deportation to El Salvador granted during the previous Trump administration.
When asked if they support or oppose Trump, “Sending undocumented immigrants who are suspected of being members of a criminal group to a prison in El Salvador without a court order,” 51% oppose.
When asked whether Trump should stop an action if the Supreme Court ruled it illegal, 88% of Americans said yes, including 82% of Republicans. A Supreme Court ruling, such as telling the Trump administration that they must facilitate the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the sheet metal apprentice sent to the El Salvadorian prison, who had no proven gang connections.
Trump and his administration have refused to follow that order, even daring to claim it was a ruling in their favor.
The Trump administration knew it had made a mistake shortly after deporting Garcia. They found the lack of evidence linking Garcia to a gang dubious. They even looked into how to get him back and publicly admitted that the deportation was an “administrative error”. But once the story broke and the Supreme Court made its ruling, the administration dug its heels in, seeming to think it would look worse for them to fix their mistake than to try to defend it by slandering Garcia and attacking anyone demanding that due process be upheld.
Not everyone who voted for Trump voted for him to ignore the courts, break the law, and make random hard-working people disappear. But why wouldn’t they consider that to be a possibility? After all, Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies, proven to be a sexual predator, a fraud and defamer, who caused an insurrection, stole national security secrets, saw multiple lawyers working for him get disbarred, other associates jailed, and he demanded presidential immunity for any crime he commits while in office.
The confusion is because right-wing politicians, pundits, and influencers have all eroded the significance of each of those events. It wasn’t an insurrection, they claim; it was a peaceful tour. Or it was violent, but Trump tried to stop it. Maybe it was an attack, but the FBI and antifa did it, although all of the insurrectionists should be pardoned for being patriots. Those felonies? Lawfare by the “deep state” that fears Trump will expose and dismantle it. And of course, Trump had a right to hold onto those national security secrets he claimed he didn’t have, then tried to hide, then refused to give back, before blaming others for them ending up in his possession in the first place.
This is what a world of constant disinformation creates. No one knows what to believe, so they listen only to what confirms their existing point of view. Migrants are all violent thugs, even though they commit crimes half as often as American citizens. The country is becoming more dangerous despite violent crime dropping to historic lows. The economy is terrible, yet somehow, it is the envy of the world. And the only one who can fix it all is Trump. But now, Trump is in power. He’s destroying everything, and his voters are noticing. You can’t blame the “deep state” when you’re in control. You can’t blame the Democrats when they are the minority in both chambers of Congress. You can’t blame the media when your own administration admits it is your fault.
We’re only 100 days into Trump’s second term, and already the luster has dulled, exposing the cheap costume jewelry for what it is. Buyer’s remorse is setting in. But remorse is not enough because the Congress that was elected lacks the strength to resist Trump, so the people must.
This is a time for open and calm discussion about the state of our nation. Talk about how uneasy the erosion of rights makes us feel, and the warning about where it leads next. We must inform in ways and in terms that a different perspective from our own can understand and absorb. It is an opportunity for truth to pierce through the lies. This is a chance to unify our nation against the abuse of power.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-lowest-100-day-approval-rating-80-years/story?id=121165473
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/04/kilmar-abrego-garcia-plan-reversal/682594/